Clues sought in Imperial Beach assault (updated)

San Diego County Crime Stoppers is looking for information this afternoon (June 20) that might help them identify a group that violently assaulted an Imperial Beach man last month.

On May 27, an unnamed 18 year-old Hispanic man was drinking beer with two friends on the Imperial Beach pier between 2 and 3 a.m. They had met another group of young men and were socializing, seeming to get along until the victim and his friends decided to leave, at which point they began yelling at the others and challenging them to fight.

The three took off running in different directions, with the victim hiding in the front yard of a residence near Elder Avenue and Second Street. The other group, described only as “White, Hispanic, and Asian men in their early twenties,” found the victim and beat him until he lost consciousness. They then stole his cell phone and wallet.

The victim was found still unconscious the next day and taken to a local hospital where he was treated for injuries, several serious. It is expected he will need several more surgeries as a result of the attack.

Anonymous tips can be submitted at www.sdcrimestoppers.com or at (888) 498-2400. A $1,000 reward is offered for information leading to arrests.

UPDATE: Authorities now believe the suspects are members of a graffiti "tagging crew" going by the tag OBD or OBDK.